February 2016 Turquoise Newsletter!

Dear Turquoise Lovers,
these are generally  months of indoor snuggling in most cities,..but this year we have been gracefully surprised by a very clement weather that is inspiring me in  presenting you beautiful outdoor tables!  Hopefully very soon we will all make our best to prepare such beautiful settings in our outdoors! In the meanwhile, let's continue to try nice recipes and live the beautiful winter months participating to Food Festivals in Europe! 

Enjoy the reading!
​Gaia

Taste  of Paris is back! The festival will be held in Paris from 11th-14th February 2016 at the Grand Palais.
The event will be held in the most emblematic places of excellence, a space that has the ability to make the past a tool of the future: the Grand Palais, Grand Palais that will transform into a foodie wonderland for 4 days of eating, drinking and entertainment. The event will bring together some of the best chefs of the ‘City of Light’, Paris. The city takes its role seriously as one of the finest culinary capitals of the world, with the rise of the newest generation of top chefs.
There will be 18 Parisian chefs and 18 pop-up restaurants were mini-bite sized signature dishes are created. For lunch or dinner, you will be able to sample the best French high cuisine ranging from chefs with Michelin stars to young and emerging talent, from classics to new clever creations …A true Festival of great chefs!
At Taste of Paris there will also be seminars, demonstrations, cooking classes, an array of artisans and brands linked to the world of gastronomy who will showcase their creations. All of this will create a warm ambience perfect for mingling, sharing , discovery, creativity, exchange and relaxation.

The Salon du Chocolat is back in Brussels! The second Belgian edition will take place between the 6th and the 8th of February 2015 in Brussels Expo in Brussels. Fans of chocolate (everyone), be ready!


With nearly 30.000 visitors in just 3 days in 2014, the second edition of the Salon du Chocolat will take place in the Belgian Capital. Organized in the biggest cities in the world (Paris, New York, Tokyo, Moscow, Beijing, Shanghai, Cairo, Bologna, Salvador da Bahia, Seoul and Zurich), it was about time Brussels had such an event to illustrate the quality of its culinary heritage.
ProgrammeThe Salon du Chocolat will offer once more a large chocolate experience to visitors, including: demonstrations of chocolate recipes and tastings, a chocolate Fashion Show, the presence of the best chocolatiers and pastry chefs, exhibitions, chocolate sculptures and much more.

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 My travel to Romagna with you! 

In May we will travel to Bologna and reach Bertinoro, to start a 5 days culinary trip in one of the most important region of  Italy.Forlimpopoli is only 5 km away from Bertinoro,  and is the home of Pellegrino Artusi, the author of The Science of cooking and the art of eating well: a bestseller about Italy’s culinary traditions, which is translated in more than 160 languages. We will  wander around town and cities  to visit the best of this culinary and historical region, land of the inititator of my cooking adventure, my father! 

Willing to know more?
​Write me here!  gaia.gorini@gmail.com 

Recipes  from the Region! 

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Yellow pumpkin cream with dried (if not in season) Borgotaro porcini 

​Difficulty: medium


Ingredients: 300 g of Borgotaro porcini mushrooms, 2 kg of yellow pumpkin pulp, 100 g of potatoes, 100 g of Romagna shallots, 50 g of garlic, 100 g of butter, 1 liter of meat broth, 100 g of grated parmigiano reggiano cheese, 100 g of chopped parsley, 300 g of guanciale, 2 dl of olive oil, salt and pepper to taste. Serves 10 people.


Preparation: cut the pumpkin into small pieces and the shallot into slices and cook them over low heat with the butter.  After 10 minutes, add the potatoes cut into cubes, cover with broth, add the salt and continue cooking for an hour.  At the end, blend everything together with a mixer.  In the meantime, clean the mushrooms, slice them and cook them in a pan with garlic, oil, parsley, and salt and pepper to taste.  Cut the guanciale into strips and cook it a separate pan until it is crisp.  Serve the cream of pumpkin hot and dressed with the porcini mushrooms, a bit of crisp guanciale, a dash of oil and a sprinkling of parmigiano reggiano.

The Borgotaro Porcini

The Porcino of Borgotaro is a natural product of superior quality. Distinguished by the I.G.P. (Indicazione Geografica Protetta - Protected Geographic Indication) since 1993 and protected by a committee of the same name, it grows in copse woods of Val Taro. Its botanic name, known by all, is BOLETUS EDULIS, progenitor of the Edules Group (Genus BOLETUS sec. BOLETUS). Porcini mushrooms are gathered in the most suitable season, the end of summer - autumn, is dried or used fresh, and plays a part of all traditional mountain menus. Despite the fact that valley-dwellers are very jealous of their Porcino, the aroma of the Borgotarese mushroom has crossed the borders: today it is one of Parma's most famous and appreciated typical products.


Small Sweet Semolina Pancakes

Frittelle dolci di semolino

​Typical dish of the plains of Bologna at the border between Bologna and Modena. It is presented in the shape of small diamond bricks with a crispy surface and a soft inside, dusted with sugar. Its original purpose was to be a side dish for a second course with a free-range spring chicken, cut into small pieces and well browned; the kids liked to eat it on its own as a dessert.

Difficulty: Medium

Ingredients: 1 litre of milk, 150 g of semolina, 5-6 tablespoons of sugar, the whole peel of 1 lemon, 3 eggs, bread crumbs as much as needed, powdered sugar to taste, oil for frying. Serves 6-8.
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Preparation: Start boiling the milk after adding the lemon zest to it. When it boils, add the sugar until it is melted, then take the pan off the heat and sprinkle the semolina over it and keep stirring. Put the pan back on the heat and stir until it becomes creamy. Roll the cream out on a wooden cutting board, greased with a little oil, until it is about 1.5 cm thick; flatten the surface with wet hands, to prevent getting burnt. When the cream is very cold, cut it into pieces in the shape of diamonds. Beat the three eggs in a bowl and dip each diamond first in the egg and then in the breadcrumbs. Fry the “little bricks” in oil, making sure that they turn a golden colour without getting too brown. Dry them on absorbing paper and dust them with icing sugar.

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